ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING OF FLUOROELASTOMER LATEX: A DIRECT-INK-WRITING APPROACH

Fluoroelastomers (FKM) are beneficial materials with desirable properties such as resistance to chemical environments, aging, fluid, and high temperatures. However, FKM processing is restricted to using conventional tooling equipment to produce goods, where energy-intensive procedures including mixing, shaping, and vulcanization are a part of manufacturing. Because fossil fuels are used as the main energy source, these processes are carbon intensive. Our strategy is predicated on utilizing additive manufacturing (AM) as a tool-less manufacturing process exhibiting customizability, flexibility, and sustainability. AM machines consume energy only while building objects in contrast to energy-intensive machinery. Thus, our plan of action is to combine AM with a newly developed FKM ink that can be 3D15 printed with a direct ink write (DIW) process. The rheological characteristics, printing parameters, and mechanical properties of the formulated ink are investigated. We believe that this adaptable method will make it easier to produce 3D-printed FKM components with DIW, which could have a wide range of applications in engineering and consumer goods.